Smell a rat
| Li: | Hi Neil. How are you today? |
| Neil: | Hello Li. I'm a bit worried. All these bills to pay ... there'll be no money left for my holiday. |
| Li: | My problems are over and so are yours, Neil! I'll pay all my bills, and yours, and ... where do you want to go for a holiday? How about Dubai? Five star hotel, by the beach, drinking champagne ... |
| Neil: | Well, it's very generous of you, Li, but where are you going to get the money for that? |
| Li: | I won the lottery! |
| Neil: | The lottery?! That's brilliant! How much? |
| Li: | Yes. I won US$10m! It's a lot of money, Neil! They sent me an email this morning. |
| Neil: | An email? |
| Li: | Yes. The only thing that the organisers are asking is for me to pay them a small fee and give them the details of my bank account so that they can transfer the money. I'm a millionaire! |
| Neil: | Mmmm ... I smell a rat! |
| Li: | A rat?! Where?! I am terrified of rats! Where is it? I can't see a rat! |
| (Li stands on her chair) | |
| Neil: | No, no, no! No need to stand on the chair, Li. There's no rat, no mouse, there're no rodents at all here. In English, when we say we 'smell a rat' we mean we're suspicious of someone: we feel there's something wrong. |
| Li: | So you think there is something wrong with this lottery? |
| Neil: | Yes, I'm afraid so. Let's hear some examples of how to use 'smell a rat', today's expression in The English We Speak.
A: I read an article about a diet which makes you lose six kilos in one week. It says there is no need for exercise B: Six kilos in one week?! That's impossible! I smell a rat! Jane smelt a rat when she read a job advert for actresses in the newspaper. It said "no training or experience required", but they wanted someone "good-looking and open-minded". |
| Li: | Oh. No money for me then ... but are you sure, Neil? Maybe this one is for real ... ? |
| Neil: | No, it's not, Li. And you shouldn't send emails around with your bank details. It's very dangerous. Someone might steal your money! |
| Li: | Yes. I should be careful with my email. |
| Neil: | Think: have you ever entered the Australian lottery? Did you buy a ticket? |
| Li: | No. I've never even been to Australia. |
| Neil: | So how could you be the winner? It's a scam, Li. It's a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people like you. |
| Li: | You are right, Neil. I wanted to win the lottery so much! |
| Neil: | So let's go out and buy a proper lottery ticket. One we know is real! |
| Li: | Maybe we will win. |
| Neil: | Maybe we will! Let's go. Bye. |
| Li: | Bye. |